A new Chief Executive Officer to lead the Mekong River Commission (MRC) Busadee Santipitaks has committed to continuing the legacy of regional cooperation and external partnership towards sustainable development in transboundary water management cooperation.
Santipitaks has stepped into her role as the first woman and fourth riparian Chief Executive Officer to lead the Mekong River Commission (MRC) Secretariat. Her three-year term started on January 17, 2025, and she will oversee the organisation’s operations from its headquarters in Vientiane and the Flood and Drought Management Centre in Phnom Penh from 2025-2027.
According to MRC’s statement, under her leadership, a new strategic direction will focus on intensified cooperation: Strengthening collaboration among the four MRC Member Countries (Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam) and dialogue partners (China and Myanmar) as well as development partners on all aspects of water resources management. Enhanced river monitoring, joint project management and flood and drought resilience are among her priorities.
During her term, Santipitaks will oversee the final implementation of the MRC Strategic Plan 2021-2025 within the Basin Development Strategy 2021-2030. She will also lead the development of the new Strategic Plan 2026-2030.
Santipitaks said that she is committed to continuing the legacy of regional cooperation and external partnership towards sustainable development in transboundary water management cooperation.
“This year, as we celebrate 30 years since the signing of the 1995 Mekong Agreement, we must appreciate the amazing journey we have made. For the past three decades, the MRC, the only agreement-based organisation on the Mekong River Basin, has worked together with the Dialogue Partners and international Development Partners to protect and manage sustainably the Mekong River, a natural wonder that has been supporting the lifeline for millions of people across our region,” she said.
